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NOMOMU G. J. HILL'. Cracker Machine Cutter.. No. 230,480. Patented July27,1880.

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*f7/MVM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.A

GEORGE Jl HILL, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WALTER S.OVENS, OF SAME PLAGE.

CRAGKER-M'ACHINECUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,480, dated July 27,1880. Application filed March 8, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE J. HILL, a citizenof the United States, residing in the city of Buffalo, in the county ofErie and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cracker-Machine Cutters, of which the following is aspecification.

One of the objections to machine-made crackers cut in the ordinary wayis that the edge on the side or periphery of the cracker is left roughby the cutters.

The object of my invention is to overcome this objection, and also toform the top of the cracker; and it consists, first, in the` arrangementof a cracker-machine cutter so as to be capable of turning back andforth at right angles to the line of its cutting movement, incombination with suitable mechanism for producin g such movement, aswill be more clearly hereinafter shown; second, in a novel mechanism forgiving an impression or form to the top of the cracker 5 third, myinvention further consists of a cracker-machine cutter having its boreslightly enlarged above its cuttingedge, in combination with a followerfor giving it sufficient pressure to enlarge its diameter a little afterit has passed into the cutter above the cutting-edge, and then forcingit back and out through the opening forming the cutting-edge, wherebyits diameter is reduced and its edge thereby made smoother, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure l is a sideelevation, showing the cutter at the limit of its upward movement. Fig.2 represents a vertical central section through the cutter (theA cutterbeing shown near the limit of its downward movement) and a longitudinalsection through the cross-head in line X X, Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a topview, showing a horizontal section through the cutter and a portion ofthe device for turning it on its vertical axis; and Fig. 4 represents anend view of the cross-head' and a -portion of the cutter. v i

A represents a suitable cross-head, to which my improved cutter may beattached. A' A2 are the front and back of the same 5 B, the bottom. Itis supported upon 'springs A3, and

kept in the line of its movement by guide-rods B, and is composed ofmetal or other suitable material.

O is the cutter; D, a tubular piece, upon which it is tted so as to turneasily, which latter is fastened to the lower part of the crosshead B byscrews C'. The cutter is prevented from dropping down off from thispiece by means of a slot on the inside of it, and a pin,

c', on the cutter, which projects through said slot, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noticed that the cutter is of slightly larger diameter on theinside above the cutting-edge. This allows the diameter of the cracker Gto expand a little after it has passed above the cutting-edge, as shown.

O2 represents a small bar or arm rigidly fastcned to and projecting outfrom the cutter C, the outer end of which passes through the bar I',which is secured to the cross-head by holding-pieces l, through thelower ends of which it passes, so as to have a free horizontal movementbackward and forward.

l2 is a swinging arm jointed to the crosshead, as shown in Fig. l, towhich the bar l is jointed at 13. The lower end of the swinging arm I2is provided with a pin or roller, J2, which passes into the slot in theinclined bar J.

`It will be seen that amovement of thecrosshead downward will cause thebar I2 to swing in the direction of the arm K, Fig. 1, and thereby movethe bar I in the same direction and impart a partial rotary movement tocutter C, which movement is reversed whenthe cross-head rises again.

f represents a follower having a sharp knifeedge, F', projecting outwardaround the bot-` tom, as shown. (See Fig. 2.) It is held rigidly to thebar E2 by rods or bolts G', and is held downward to the bottom of thecutter, when not cutting through the dough, by means ofthe springs F* onthe bolts F,which bolts pass through holes in the bar E2, and arerigidly fastened to B, so that said barE2 can move easily up or down,the springs F4 holding it down to give the pressure to the cracker andcause it to expand slightly in diameter, so that when the cross-headrises and the follower forces the cracker out through the lower end ofthe cutter its rough edges will be made smooth by being pushed backthrough the opening forming the cutting-edge. or by the turning of tl1esame(the cutter) while bein g forced out.

A portion ot' the follower f is represented as broken away so as to showthe inside clearer, f', the office of which is to force the cracker, bya sudden quick movement, from the followerf after the follower hasforced it out of the cutter, which operation is performed during theupward movement of the crosshead. It is connected by a rod, E', to abar, E, which has a free vertical movement up and down on the bolts L,and is kept up by springs L. The bolts L are rigidly fastened to the barE2, so as to move with it. M is an angular bar fastened to E.

H represents a vibrating arm arranged to turn on a standard, H',permanently fastened to the base of the machine, so as to be independentof the cross-head. The arm H is provided with a pin or roller, N, whichprojects into the opening under the angular piece M, so that H is madeto vibrate by the movement of the cross-head.

O represents a small vibrating arm jointed to a bar, 0', on thecross-head. This bar O is arranged so that when its outward end is movedup it takes the course taken by the dotted lines P. It is prevented frommoving downward too far by af projection on the opposite side, (shown bydotted lines,) which strikes against the bar O or standard when thelimit ofits downward movementisreached, and is kept down in position bythe spring P.

1t is obvious that a downward movement of the cross-head will cause theend h ofthe arm H to move upward in the line of the dotted lines R, andthat the end h2 of the arm O will be raised up thereby and allow it topass, after which the arm O is brought back to its normal position bythe spring P, and that as the cross-head rises the movement of the arm His reversed, and as the end h moves down it comes in contact with thetop of the end h2 of arm O, which in that position is unyielding, sothat the end h of arm H is lifted up and the opposite endcorrespondingly depressed, which operation presses the bar E and theclearer f' downward, so that the clearer projects below the bottom ofthe cutter, as shown at S in dotted lines, Fig. l, and is then releasedby the end h moving` far enough in the direction of the dotted lines Rto allow it to pass by the end 7b2 of the arm O, when it is quicklybrought back to its normal position by the springs L.

The impression is given to the cracker during the downward movement ofthe crosshead by the swinging bars T, jointed to a bracket on each endof the cross-head, as shown in Fig. 2, so that their outer ends will belifted up by a projection, T', (shown in Fig.

2,) arranged at some convenient point on the machine and cause theirinner ends to press the bar E2 and follower j' downward suiciently togive the required impression, which impression is given when thecross-head has nearly reached the limit of its downward movement.

In operation the action of the machine is as follows: When thecross-head is forced downward the cutter C, which moves with it, is madeto rotate slightly, as above described. During this part of theoperation the cutter passes through the usual thin sheetof dough, andthe cutting-edge, when at the limit of its downward movement, restsagainst the surface upon which the dough is placed, so that the crackeror disk of dough, which is now within the cutter, has forced thefollower f upward, as shown in Fig. 2, and the pressure of saidfollower, which receives a slight reverse or downward movement near thelimit of the downstroke of the cutter, for giving an impression to thecracker by means of the swinging bars T, as specified, causes it (thecracker) to expand a little in diameter, so as to ll the larger bore ofthe cutter above its cuttingedge. (See Fig. 2.)

During the return -or upward movement of the cross-head and cutter thecutter receives a slight rotary movement the other way, and as it risesallows the follower j'to be moved downward by the force of the springsF4 and thereby push the disk of dough out through the cutting-edge,whereby its diameter is reduced, and the friction or adhesion of thedough to the cutter causes the lower sharp edge of the cracker to beslightly drawn up and rounded. After the cracker is forced below thecuttingedge of the cutter by the follower f the inside clearer, f',while the cutter is moving upward, forces it by a quick sudden movementtherefrom, as hereinbefore mentioned.

The lower face ofthe follower f, when at the limit of its downwardmovement, is down to or below the lower edge of the cutter, and in itsupward movement rises high enough to allow the cracker to be forced upwithin it and its circumference enlarged, as hereinbefore mentioned, sothat it is contracted while being forced out, and the usual lower sharpedge of the cracker is consequently rounded up and made smoother,thereby producing a cracker having both the upper and lower edgesrounded and greatly improved in appearance.

I claim as my inventionj 1. The cutter G, in combination with thetubular piece D, upon which it turns, and a suitable device,substantially as specified, for operating it, as and for the purposesset forth.

2. A cracker-machine cutter or cup, C, having the inside diameterenlarged above the cutting-edge, in combination with a follower, j', andmechanism, substantially as described, whereby the follower enlarges thediameter of the cut cracker and forces the cracker, after its IDO IZO

diameter has been enlarged, out through the4 with@ rotarycutter, C, forthe purposes Set opening formingthe cutting-edge, substanforth. tiailyas sind for the purposes described.

3. In e cracker-machine cutter, the suppie-v GEORGE J HILL 5 mentarycross-head or bar E2, provided with l Witnesses:

a follower, f, and the reciprocating cross-heed i JAMES SANGsTER, havingthe pivoted arms T, in combination I HUGH SANGsTER.

